Holiday show brings the magic of Christmas to Apple Tree Arts
Apple Tree Arts presents 8&1 Dance Company East’s magical holiday show “In the Spirit, A Holiday Celebration” Friday, Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m. and Saturday Dec . 14, 1:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. in the intimate venue of the Great Hall, One Grafton Common.
“The show is a warm-hearted, entertaining production about the magic of Christmas and the holidays seen through the eyes of a child as she experiences the joys of the season,” choreographer and director
Jill S. Rucci explained. “The holidays are a very busy time and sometimes we forget the true importance of Christmas, family, friends and loved ones. With a little help from the young girl’s kindred spirit, Santa’s magic helpers and the elf on the shelf and other fantasy moments the child finds herself in the spirit and is thankful for all she has.
“There’s an overture of different Christmas songs but no spoken word. The dancing is mostly jazz, very upbeat and passionate, all of my choreography is genuine and sincere,” Rucci said.
Rucci is the founder, choreographer and director of 8&1 Dance Company Dallas, a professional dance company she started in 2011. A chance meeting this summer at One Grafton Common led her to Donna Blanchard, executive director of Apple Tree Arts. They soon learned the two had a lot in common. Jill’s brother Bob, a graphic designer and owner of R3 Creative had created the logo for the community music and theatre arts school many years ago. Jill grew up in the nearby town of Sutton and recently moved back East to southern Rhode Island to be closer to home. Now, her focus is 8&1 Dance Company East, a professional troupe.
“It was a pleasure to meet Jill and learn about her successful dynamic dance company in Dallas,” said Blanchard. “She was so enthusiastic and excited about establishing a new troupe that once Jill walked into the Great Hall, she immediately knew she wanted to present the dance company’s annual holiday show on our stage. We are delighted to help make this happen,” she said.
8&1 Dallas is finishing up their eighth season while the newly established 8&1 East is beginning its first season.
“We have announced our second audition for professional dancers in January, hosting master classes and gearing up to launch the Company officially in 2020,” Rucci said. “Since we rent out rehearsal space and bring dance programs to many performance venues we are flexible and will produce shows in different areas” she added.
Rucci’s East coast roots go back to her grandfather, Cristino Anthony Rucci, who owned a boxing gym on Exchange Street in Worcester. In his honor, she created “Exchange Street” a full-length dance drama which included video scenes of Worcester. “Theatre Jones” said, “Artistic director Jill S. Rucci has earned her title of dance heavyweight in Dallas.” She embodies her dance company’s mission by reaching out to communities through dance, telling stories and touching lives. She believes it’s “good to make memories come alive and make more memories.”
BeforeRucci formed “8&1 Dance Company Dallas,” she lived in New York City where she was a principal dancer and guest choreographer for Vissi Dance Theatre for more than 10 years. She has presented, trained and taught her choreography in many cities including Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York and Olbia, Italy. She studied at Alvin Ailey where she earned certifications in modern and contemporary dance.
She most recently finished a successful dance drama, “CONTROL.” A story through spoken word, art and dance about the harsh reality of the opioid epidemic. Critics have said, “Rucci presents a heavy, heartbreaking look at the effects of drug addiction that is perhaps the most relevant creation of her career in Dallas. Rucci and her crew need to take this on the road, high schools, educational programs, and the like must have this performance as part of their curriculum addressing the national crisis.”
Rucci believes strongly in the importance of being involved in the community. “If I can make an impact on one person in the audience to change their world and have them walk away thinking about what we did, I’ve made a difference. Sometimes we entertain and keep things light-hearted, other times we are deep and heavy in our productions. Either way our mission as a professional jazz and modern dance company is to dance, work, rehearse, perfect, perform, entertain and make a difference though our artistry,” she said.
Tickets cost $25.50 for adults and $16.50 for seniors and children age 12 and younger and include light refreshments. Visit www.8and1dance.com to purchase tickets.
